'08 MI CB Boubacar Cissoko (Michigan Signee- Dismissed From Team)

[Brian@MGoBlog]

reminds me of Chris Houston from Arkansas, who just got picked in the second round by the Falcons. He spent most of the year nose-to-nose with guys like Sydney Rice. A great, tough little guy who stayed in everyone's pocket from the snap. Jam artist.

[cbt]

Reminds me of former Lions CB Dre Bly. Both you positioning and body to reroute or impede WRs. Both are excellent at getting hands on WRs and denying them the ability to get into their routes. rerouting and denying are becoming more and more important in defending sreads and multiple WR sets. OSU actually has a video they show at clinics on importance of rerouting to proect FS.

[LabattsBleu]

all the examples are pretty good ones - he's very feisty for sure, and i think his physicality might throw some of his matchups off their game...

I haven't heard too much on some of the targets we missed on like Eugene or the Harris' (Macho and Nic)....so i'll be interested to see how they develop.

having Warren and Cissoko in the backfield makes me excited, esp with our lack of success in recruiting top flight CBs in the years between Jackson and Warren.

[SNIPE26]

I'm so pumped for Cissoko. He looks incredible in man coverage and is one of the more physical corners I've seen in a while. Imagine him, Warren, Stevie Brown and Will Hill in the secondary!

[Sette]

The Cissoko and Warren tandem definitely has the chance to be special. Just imagine if they had Hill over the top.

[SNIPE26]

Boubacar was just ranked the #22 CB on ESPN in one of the more ridiculous things I've read in a long time.

[dayooper]

Originally Posted by SNIPE26

Boubacar was just ranked the #22 CB on ESPN in one of the more ridiculous things I've read in a long time.

ESPN say something ridiculous!!!!!

[wadc45]

U-M recruit aims to prove his potential

August 7, 2007

Boubacar Cissoko got straight to the point.

"I think this is the biggest season for me," he said.

Cissoko is a senior cornerback/return specialist/flanker for Detroit Cass Tech. He has already made a verbal commitment to U-M. He's one of the state's top recruits. And yet people continue to doubt him.

Continued...

[OSwho?]

Rivals moved him down 5 spots from #49 to #54, while moving Jonas Gray up 11 spots to #36 from #47 in their updated Rivals100.

Which as you can imagine I find ridiculous. Rivals for whatever reason just doesn't want to give the kid his due. Cissoko outclassed Patrick Johnson, the #3 player in their Top 100, at the Army All-American Junior combine down in San Antonio this January. I've watched a lot of tape of kids in 7-on-7's, at Nike camps, and highlight videos, and I haven't seen one corner in this class that has Cissoko's hips, footspeed, or backpedal, Patrick Johnson & TJ Bryant included.

[OSwho?]

Originally Posted by wadc45

U-M recruit aims to prove his potential

Thanks for the article Wad.

Found the line about Dion Sims pretty interesting. Sims is 6'5, 230 pounds or so while Cissoko is 5'9", 170's, but in terms of where each one is as a football player and technique at their respective positions...well, if I was Sims I'd be keeping my mouth shut. Would not want to give Boubacar any added motivation. Sims is an excellent all-around athlete but he's going to play tight end or defensive end in college, doesn't have the speed to stay at wide receiver with the inevitable weight gain that is going to occur. Might not even wind up playing football in college either, he's a pretty highly touted basketball prospect as well.

[wadc45]

Even Buckeye fans are shocked Cissoko moved down...I agree with the post below and yours...Cissoko is a 5-star talent in my book. Patrick Johnson might be the only CB I would rate a bit higher than Cissoko and that is only because they have similar skill sets, but Johnson is a bit bigger (and if you've seen Johnson's film from the USC camp, he was AWESOME). Both are EXTREMELY physical, which is something I love out of CBs.

2008 Rivals/Scout/etc. National & Regional Rankings - Page 32 - BuckeyePlanet Ohio State Forums

[OSwho?]

Originally Posted by wadc45

Even Buckeye fans are shocked Cissoko moved down...I agree with the post below and yours...Cissoko is a 5-star talent in my book. Patrick Johnson might be the only CB I would rate a bit higher than Cissoko and that is only because they have similar skill sets, but Johnson is a bit bigger (and if you've seen Johnson's film from the USC camp, he was AWESOME). Both are EXTREMELY physical, which is something I love out of CBs.

2008 Rivals/Scout/etc. National & Regional Rankings - Page 32 - BuckeyePlanet Ohio State Forums

I can agree with that on Patrick Johnson being ranked higher. I saw that USC video and some extra video the USC sites had exclusive to their sites. The kid is awesome, no doubt about it, and plus he's a legitimate 6'1", where as Cissoko is barely 5'9".

I also agree about the physical play of both kids. Both of these guys have excellent technique and are very physical in bump n' run coverage and can press a receiver at the line and re-rout him. Most high school corners just don't have the skills to be able to do that in such a dominating fashion in 7-on-7's or camp settings much less a live game.

I always thought that TJ Bryant was very overrated where Rivals had him initally ranked.

By the way, since we are on the topic, I think Posey is overrated as a 5 star, that Mike Adams should've been the 5 star from Ohio, and why they continue to slap him in the face over at Rivals is beyond me.

Also agree with the Buckeye fans who said that Brandon Beachum doesn't belong in the Top 100. Also agree with those that say that Brandon Moore is over-ranked at #61. I'd put more at the bottom of the 100, probably somewhere in the 90's, simply because his size and athletic ability give him great potential. I'd swap Brandon Moore and Sam McGuffie rankings in a second. They had McGuffie rated at 92. In fact, I think even at 61 McGuffie would be underrated, but hey I think he's closer to #61 than Moore is.

I found this post over there pretty funny because it's very accurate...

Quote:
Originally Posted by OWUBuckeye51
Mike Adams
Dublin (OH) CoffmanOL6-7/308Ohio StateSome call Adams the best offensive lineman to come out of Ohio in years.

THEN WHY WOULD YOU NOT HAVE HIM A 5-STAR PLAYER???

Because some others (southern homer "experts" named Bobby Burton and JC Schurbert) think he's a lazy bum who doesn't block anyone...


Couldn't agree with that guy more, Schurburt and Burton both suck and have way to much say in the rankings. Junior Hemingway out of South Carolina got demoted to 3*'s by Rivals solely because of Schurburt according to Mike Farrell. Farrell showed up on Michigan's board and said it was a mistake in his mind and that Junior was a Top100 type talent. Schurburt then tried to do some damage control but basically went on to bash Junior and give him snarky little backhanded compliments.

I'm paraphrasing here, but Schurburt basically said he didn't think Junior had the athleticism to play WR at D-1, that maybe he could play LB'er, and that if Junior somehow turned out to be an All-American at Michigan then he'd let the Wolverine fans talk smack to him. All I can say is Junior had a pretty impressive offer list and highlight reel for a 3* prospect.

Funny thing is Chad Henne praised Junior Hemingway the most out of all three of the freshman receivers at media day. Seems like everybody gushed about Hemingway the most out of the three freshman receivers.

[wadc45]

I guess we'll have to agree to agree on just about everyone...everyone but Posey that is...if you saw him at any of the summer camps he attended then you know why he is ranked where he is. I don't care about the stars...but I do think that Posey is a top 5 WR in the country (they have him at #5). He was unstoppable all summer.

Stoneburner/Adams both got shafted a little...they both had offers from Notre Dame/USC/Florida/Miami etc. Rivals just still insists on ranking Stoney as a TE which is incorrect.

Cissoko is getting slighted for his size...plain and simple. And maybe for committing so early. The longer Patrick Johnson allows things to drag out as far as his soft verbal to Miami is concerned, the more subscriptions Rivals is going to sell, so on and so forth.

Great post OSwho?...

[OSwho?]

I don't know about Posey as a 5*, but I'll take your word for it. I guess that one just kind of stood out to me a little, was kind of shocked to see him as a 5*, but it doesn't blow my mind. Them calling Mike Adams the best offensive lineman in Ohio in years when Ohio just had that amazing OL class in 2006 and then ranking Adams at #96 does though.

In terms of the Ohio kids I'd have Adams and Rudolph as the 5*s', with Posey, Stoneburner, Torrence, Shaw (in place of Beachum as the top RB in OH), McCarthy (why on earth isn't he in there?), and Moore in the Top 100.

Maybe even Koger and Scott, but they are more of projects then the other guys who I had listed above.

[wadc45]

Scout $

8/27

Video interview...reacts to his team's loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary's.